Monday, February 27, 2017

Last month my colleague wrote a
wonderfully thoughtful and informative blog
that explored the roots of plagiarism. In it he opined that understanding the
root of plagiarism offers educators options for addressing it(Hayes). Having spent nearly
three years as a member of a committee tasked with ensuring that the
University’s academic integrity policies are upheld, I have oftenfound myself suspended between shock and
sadness when confronted with the options some colleagues have chosen to address
plagiarism. Recently, a particularly dispiriting situation beckoned me to
question the role of compassion in addressing plagiarism. Even the most
egregious act of academic dishonesty presents itself as a teachable moment. To
that end, if compassion has a place anywhere, it should be in the classroom.

A cursory glance at daily
headlines from Washington D.C. to Chicago illuminates the reality that compassion
is under siege. Even some of the most well-intentioned people and institutions appear
to be forcing compassion to retreat in favor of addressing more pragmatic
concerns. However, for me it is a harrowing proposition to envision a world
where compassion is a casualty of war. Yet, this is the daily reality for many.
Given this fact, it is troubling to witness situations where students who
commit plagiarism whether unintentionally or intentionally are not only met
with a lack of compassion but with scorn, belittlement, and indifference as
well. I have seen compassion eschewed more times than I care to recall in these
situations. However, I am particularly disturbed when these incidents occur in
first-year courses with students from underrepresented groups, as research shows
that two of the primary reasons that these students leave higher education are
feeling unwelcomed and lack of academic preparedness.

“Integrating compassion into
classrooms can strengthen the emotional, intellectual and social learning
environment of a school”(Berkowicz and Myers). One need not teach
compassion or design assignments or learning outcomes based on the principles
of compassion to infuse the learning environment with it. One can simply model
compassion in her interactions with students. Faculty can model compassion when
addressing acts of student dishonesty, particularly plagiarism, by considering possible
causes. For example, there are distinct cultural differences in defining what
constitutes plagiarism. Having taught writing to international students from
Indonesia to China, Iran, Pakistan, Mexico, and Togo, I have learned that there
are striking differences in global perceptions of plagiarism.

An additional issue to consider
when addressing plagiarism is academic preparedness. For example, multiple
factors might affect a nontraditional adult learner’s understanding of
plagiarism. Some adult learners might have never been required to cite in
school, while others may have been away from school for long periods of time
and need refreshers on citation, while others might work in
professions/industries that approach plagiarism and citation differently than
academia. Additionally some traditional-aged students come from high schools
that have failed to adequately prepare them for the rigors of university work
in many regards, including working with sources.Finally various internal and external
stressors might contribute to an act of plagiarism.

In essence all learning is
developmental, and a compassionate response to plagiarism recognizes this. Although
the University requires that acts of academic dishonesty be reported, faculty
have freedom in assessing sanctions. I recommend that faculty include an
opportunity for the student to learn from the incident as well. A punishable
moment is still a teachable one. Yet, I have seen sanctions from zero credit on
an assignment to complete failure of a course issued without any accompanying
educational remedy. In addition to assessing a penalty, as an educational
remedy faculty could require students to demonstrate understanding of
plagiarism by completing a free online tutorial with The Writing Center or
through a website such as Lycoming College’s "Goblin
Threat Plagiarism Test” or Indiana University Bloomington’s "How
to Recognize Plagiarism” test. Faculty might also have a student resubmit
an assignment for a reduced grade (or no grade at all) and have the student
include annotations of the revisions that were made to correct and avoid
plagiarism.

Another option could be to have the
student write a short reflection on the experience of committing and being
sanctioned for an act of academic dishonesty with an explanation of why they
committed the act and how they will avoid it in the future. Faculty could also
meet with the student to discuss the situation. I am often surprised at how infrequently
this option is selected, particularly in marginal situations when despite an
earnest attempt at citing errors have occurred or situations when students who
are otherwise performing well in a course commit an act of plagiarism. Meeting
with the student could offer opportunities for faculty to reexamine course
policies and expectations as Hayes suggests.

Myriad factors influence the way
human beings act and react to situations and each other. The classroom can at
times reflect the best and worst of this reality.However, “teaching is a humanistic
profession, requiring compassion and genuine caring”(Potter,
Whitener and Sikorsky). To that end, the student-teacher
relationship should be neither adversarial nor apathetic. As teachers we hold
positions of authority with our students, and we can use that authority to
build or destroy. The classroom should be a place where teachers facilitate a
learning experience that is challenging, transformative, and empowering. As such,
a teacher should have the capacity to address plagiarism with compassion.

I am in no way arguing that
faculty should forego sanctions for acts of academic dishonesty. As Hayes
asserts, “blaming the students is the easiest strategy”(Hayes). A sanction for the
act addresses the student’s accountability. However, once the easiest strategy
has been deployed, what next? A compassionate approach holds the instructor
accountable as well. It calls for a well-intentioned attempt to assist the
student in not repeating the behavior. It moves the situation from merely a
punishable moment to a teachable one. After all, teaching is what we are here
to do.

Works Cited

Berkowicz, Jill and Ann Myers. Compassion in the
Classroom: A 'Real Strength' for Education. 24 August 2014. Blog. 26
February 2017. <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/leadership_360/2014/08/compassion_in_the_classroom_a_real_strength_for_education.html>.

Friday, February 24, 2017

The University Center for Writing-based Learning (UCWbL) is looking to hire undergraduate and graduate students as writing tutors. Tutors are provided with extensive training, including WRD 395: Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy. This class can be applied to both the L7 and H2X competencies.

If you know any SNL students who might interested, please share this opportunity.

Friday, February 10, 2017

The SNL Writing Program has been invited to present at the
2017 Student Success in Writing Conference. The conference, organized by the
Georgia Southern University Department of Writing and Linguistics, has provided
a forum for educators to discuss student success in writing since 1999. SNL
Writing will be adding to the conversation by discussing the unique considerations
that go into designing a writing curriculum for adult students.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

The SNL Writing Program has been invited to present at the International Higher Education Teaching & Learning Association (HETL) Conference in Paisley, Scotland at the end of June. The conference theme is Creating
Inclusion and Diversity in Higher Education, which is an impulse at the
very core of SNL. The Writing Program’s presentation “Designing a Writing
Program that Meets the Needs of the Adult Student” will explore how SNL uses
its writing classes and student outreach programs to address the needs of our
unique student body.